Who Is This Isaac Watts Person, Anyway?

by Sojourn Worship & Arts Pastor Mike Cosper:

You’ve probably sung an Isaac Watts hymn at least once in your life. If you sang “The Wonderful Cross” in church in the last few years, you may have thought it was a Matt Redman or Chris Tomlin song - it was Watts. You may have sung Sandra McCracken’s “I Boast No More” thinking it was hers - it was Watts. You may have sung Tim Smith’s (from Mars Hill Seattle) “I Sing the Mighty Power of God.” The much beloved Christmas classic “Joy to the World” was also his.

It’s said that he wrote over 1500 hymns and psalms in his lifetime. He is without doubt one of the greatest English language poets and theologians.

Throughout this year, Sojourn Music will be releasing a variety of Watts-related resources - biographical information on this blog in the form of articles, songs, and interviews, and two CD’s, the first of which is due the beginning of April (more about this in the near future).

We think Watts has much to teach us about worship - in his poetry, theology, and in the way he lived his life. Watts was a non-conformist, a reformer in the Church of England, and a champion for contextualization of the Gospel. He went to great pains in his songs and his preaching to make sure that people saw Jesus in the scriptures and worship of the church.

Join us in our journey as we study the life and work of Isaac Watts on Sojournmusic.com.

Watch a one-minute update on the new Sojourn CD, featuring producer Neil Robins